Electronic devices are widely popular in all aspects of ordinary life. In particular, electronic devices having cards, modules or other interchangeable components have grown in popularity as it has become possible to configure them to suit a particular need, to be upgraded, or to easily replace faulty components. Most often modules or circuit cards connect to other existing components, such as a motherboard in the case of a personal computer, by insertion of a male contact portion into a female receptacle in an electrical connector. The connector usually comprises an elongated slot having a plurality of conducting contacts arranged along the length of the inside walls of the elongated slot that are adapted to engage with corresponding contacts formed on a contact portion of the circuit card.
Undesirably, electronic systems adopting this method and apparatus for connecting a circuit card to a different component via a connector often experience instances where the card dislodges from the connector, thereby disrupting electrical contact between the components. This can result in electrical and physical damage to other components within the electronic device and can also cause the electronic device to not operate properly. The need for more secure electrical connections is increasing as more electronic devices are made to be portable, since the risk of circuit cards or other components being dislodged in such portable devices is increased. Portable computers, hand held electronic devices, electronics incorporated in automobiles, are all examples of portable devices where movement of the device can result in circuit cards and boards being dislodged from connectors. Of course, movement and jostling of electronic devices during shipment also also increases the likelihood of circuit cards becoming dislodged.
A widely adopted response to the problems associated with dislodged circuit cards is to secure the card in the connector. One typical securing system comprises placing a back plate in the shape of an L-bracket on the back edge of the circuit card. The top portion of the back plate includes an aperture, often including threads, which aligns with an opposing aperture in the frame or chassis of the electronic device. A screw, or other retaining device, secures the back plate and circuit card to the chassis.
However, securing the back plate to the chassis typically only secures one end of an otherwise elongated circuit card to the chassis. As a result, when the electronic device including the circuit card is subject to jarring or other random impacts, the end of the card opposite the back plate can still rotate upward out of the connector. The back plate, being attached in only one place to the chassis, essentially acts as a fulcrum about which the circuit card tends to pivot when subjected to enough force. As a consequence, this type of retaining mechanism for circuit cards is not entirely effective in preventing circuit cards from being dislodged from the connectors.
Moreover, the assembly of the electronic devices is complicated by these types of securing devices. Specifically, the assembler must correctly position the circuit card in the connector and then align the back plate and the chassis to then screw or otherwise secure the back plate to the chassis. This process can add a very significant amount of time for assembly of the electronic device. This increase in assembly time can be a very critical cost factor in the production of electronic devices, particularly in the very competitive area of personal computers.
Accordingly there still exists a need for a circuit card or electronic component retaining device which does not suffer from the drawbacks of the prior art, is inexpensive, and may quickly and releasably secure a component, such as a circuit card, in a connector. To this end, there is a need for a securing mechanism that retains the component in the connector and does not require the assembler to undertake significant additional time consuming assembly steps to secure the component in the connector.